Avatar: Spirit of Earth
by blackmagicwolf
Summary: The next Avatar epic is already here! Korra has passed on and a new Avatar is about to emerge. But the world is not what it once was, and the Avatar is anything but compliant to his new role. He must put aside his feelings to save the world from a threat years in the making. Who will he fight? Who will help him on his journey? What else awaits him? Find out Avatar: Spirit of Earth!
1. Chapter 1 and 2

Cue dramatic voiceover done by a woman with a gentle voice.

"Fire, Air, Water, Earth

It is the Avatar's duty to bring peace to the world and the people that reside in it. And as the Avatar Korra did exactly that. Bringing balance and peace to the distrust that was beginning to surface between the benders and non-benders. Throughout her life Korra dedicated herself to maintaining that peace and the world prospered from it. But as all life does Korra would soon pass on...

With her passing the eyes of the world turned to the Earth Kingdom for the next Avatar. But much like Korra's predecessor Aang an Avatar did not appear. As word began to spread of the Avatar's disappearance the world fell into a state of panic fearing that another war may soon come. But much like the Avatar one did not occur. And so the world began to live life without an Avatar, but not all gave up hope and the search continued...

Little did they know that the next Avatar was right under their noses."

This is the opening to what I would like to be the next Avatar series focusing on the Earthbending Avatar. This post contains the first two chapters with the rest available below. So let's begin.

**Chapter 1: The Forgotten Avatar**

We begin our story in a small village in the Earth Kingdom. Though small the village is vibrant and full of life and people. Inside one of the buildings a group of men are discussing the Avatar situation and the effect it's having on the world.

"It has been over twenty years since Korra passed. The Avatar should have been found by now." said a member of the council

"Agreed," said another, "but he nor she has not. Are we to assume the rumors are true? That the Avatar is no more?"

"I refuse to believe that. It's impossible! It's just likely that the new Avatar is missing or has not been found yet."

One of the council shook their head but didn't respond, he instead looks around and notices an absence, "Where is Master Graham? He should be here."

The head councilman laughed upon hearing this, "Knowing him? He's probably out watching his head pupil Rey..."

In a clearing outside the village one kid is surrounded by five others. The five are all Earthbenders and are hurling rocks at the kid for their amusement, the kid doesn't fight back and they decide to up the ante by hurling bigger rocks at him. As they begin to load up the ground crumples under two of the five bullies making them sink into the earth. The others look to see a person looking at them with clear anger in his eyes. The stranger was tall but muscular, he had light brown hair and deep brown eyes that glared at his opponents.

The stranger runs towards them and he Earthbends them into submission, with both speed and grace he takes them out without much of a challenge. The three bullies now lied on the ground groaning in pain.

He looks around to make sure they're done and then goes over to the kid and makes sure he's ok.

"You ok buddy?" the stranger asked the kid

The boy nods, "I am, thank you."

"No problem. Head back home, I'll take care of them."

Once the boy is gone the stranger Earthbends some clamps over the bullies bodies to make sure they can't move, then he creates some giant boulders and hovers them over the bullies and dares them to try and dodge them.

"So you like to play "Dodge the Rock" huh? Your turn to play."

He lifts his arms to drop the boulders when suddenly a voice rings through the clearing.

"Rey, that's enough."

The stranger turns to see a sagely looking man calmly staring at him. Rey shrugs and drops the boulders just far enough away from the bullies to not hurt them but close enough to make a point.

"You knew I wasn't going to hurt them Master Graham." says Rey as he approached the man

"I know, but just like you I have to keep up appearances and if you had decided to do it that would have looked bad upon me as well as you." replied Graham

"Please, no one would've cared.," scoffed Rey, "The only people who don't like you are the council."

"True, but that's because i'm less strict than they are, in fact they're in session right now and probably wondering where I am."

Back with the council where they begin discussing Master Graham and now Rey.

"Ah yes Rey." said one of the council with an air of appreciation, "He's a good kid. And his Earthbending? Unparalled."

"Yes." added another, "He's been a huge help to the village. Helps anyone, helps everyone, all they have to do is ask. You don't find that kind of personality in the world anymore."

"It's a pity, you know that he's not the Avatar. But he didn't pass the test." said a councilman with a shrug

The council then goes silent, and they begin to look at one another scared to actually say what they're thinking. Finally one speaks out.

"Did we actually do the Avatar Test for Rey?"

One of the councilmen jumps up and calls for an aide and demands that the records of the Avatar test be brought to them. As they review the records they find indeed Rey was not tested for being the Avatar. Shocked by the revelation they send out an aide to find Master Graham and Rey and have them brought to the council chambers immediately.

Master Graham and Rey talking about the fight when the aide crashes into them.

"Ow!" cries Rey as he hits the ground

"Sorry Rey!" says the aide apologetically as he gets up and bows to them, "I was in a hurry to find you and Master Graham and bring you both to the council."

"Why?" asked Graham curious

"They told me not to say. Please come quickly."

Confused but willing to play along the two head towards the chambers and greets the council as they enter. The head councilman addresses Rey.

"Rey I need you to do something for us."

"And what is that?"

"Around the room are certain...trinkets, treasures if you will. I need you to find them, the only catch is that you can't use your bending."

"Why should I do such a thing?' asked Rey still confused

"Because I am asking you to." replied the councilman sternly

Perplexed Rey looks at Master Graham who doesn't return the favor.

"Fine. Whatever."

Looking around the room Rey begins to sense the items, but not with his bending but by a weird sensation inside of him. Within minutes he finds the items and hands them to the council.

"Did I win?" asked Rey

"Indeed," replied one of councilmen, "you have proven you are the Avatar!"

A deep silence filled the room. A look of shock and horror appeared on Rey's face. The Avatar? Him? Master Graham then steps in to question the result.

"Are you sure of this? We cannot be hasty with such a proclamation." said Graham

"You know as well as I that only the Avatar can sense their past lives in the items. We've done this test many times and no one has found them as quickly as Rey did. He found them in minutes where the others have taken hours. It can only be because he's the Avatar." replied the head councilman

As the council begin to discuss what to do now that the Avatar is found Rey begins to shake and then shouts "NO!".

"What's wrong?" asks one of the council

"I don't want to be the Avatar. I'm NOT going to be the Avatar." said Rey firmly

"You're not going to be the Avatar?" said the head councilman, "It is your duty to protect the world from whatever may threaten it, that is your role as the Avatar."

"My role? My duty? My whole life my duty has been to protect this village and those that reside in it. In fact that's what I was doing while you were sitting in here twiddling your thumbs and doing nothing. And then miraculously I'm the Avatar and you start plotting what to do, without even thinking about what I want? I don't want to be the Avatar, I want to stay here and protect my home. I can't do that if I'm the Avatar."

"Rey please," said another man from the council with both concern and compassion, "I understand your feelings but the world needs an Avatar, it always has and it always will."

"I'm not so sure." replied Rey, "You know how long it's been since Korra died? 22 years. When an Avatar didn't show up after ten the people panicked. But then nothing happened, the world didn't end, a war didn't come, there was peace, well as much as there could've been anyway. The world isn't perfect, it never will be, but I think it's learning it can survive on it's own. Having an Avatar will upset that."

"How do you figure that? asked the head councilman skeptically

"Simple. The moment the Avatar appears people will soon become reliant on the presence of the Avatar. That's bad. What's worse is that balance of power will shift in the world and that will cause a lot of problems. Villains that may have remained dormant will arise to prove that they're better than the Avatar. The Avatar can't be everywhere at once, someone will figure that out and use it to their advantage. If it's revealed I'm the Avatar a lot of bad things will happen, and I'll be responsible for them, directly or indirectly it doesn't matter, it'll be on me, I don't want that. I don't want people to be hurt because I showed up, my conscience couldn't survive that."

Rey turns around and makes to leave when a councilman shouts, "You can't just leave! You ARE the Avatar whether you like it or not, you can't just abandon us or the people when they need you!"

Without looking at them Rey replied, "That's just it councilman, they don't need me. The world right now is just as peaceful without the Avatar as it was with one. That's progress, one that I fully endorse. If it's my destiny, my legacy, to be the forgotten Avatar...I'm ok with that."

And without another word Rey walks out. The council is stunned by what Rey has said and are speechless. Graham however with a look of determination walks out and goes to look for Rey.

By a small lake outside the village in the nearby forest Rey is gazing into the water as if to find an answer to the problem that is now upon him. As he continues to gaze into the water Graham arrives and sits next to him.

"Took you long you enough to get here." said Rey not looking at his master

"Well after what just happened I figured you'd want to be alone and there's only a few places you'd go to be alone. This was the third place I looked." said Graham

"Hmph." Rey replied

"Still mad?" asked Graham

Looking at him this time Rey responded, "I'm the Avatar? Seriously? After everything that's happened to me? Everything I've done? And fate or whatever decides to make me the next Avatar? What a joke."

"Rey I understand how you feel but being the Avatar is an honor. The Avatar represents the best the world has to offer and though you won't believe me I know that can be you."

"You're right...I don't believe you." said Rey with a smile

"Well it's a start." sighed Graham, "Look, whether the world truly needs you now is irrelevant. The Avatar is needed not just for the present but for the future. You said that evil would show its face when you arrived and that's probably true, but that means that they are out there waiting and someone has to stop them. And that needs to be the Avatar. It's an honor to be needed by so many.

"I'm needed here, I'm honored here, I'm honored to be here. This is my home Master Graham, it's all I have, I do everything and anything this village needs of me and I'm glad to do it. Whether it's defending kids from the bullies, helping build homes or other constructions or helping out the men and women with odd jobs to make their lives easier. That's been my purpose for the last 12 years. I don't want to abandon that, not just for me but..."

"But what?"

"I promised my mother I would watch over this place."

"Ah yes, your mother." says Master Graham beginning to understand

"Yeah. It's ironic, she's the reason I didn't get tested in the first place. I didn't even know I was an Earthbender until she died, she was sick for so long and I took care of her until she passed and afterwards I didn't want to come back to the village. They tested everyone while I was tending to her."

"I remember, it took you a month after she died to come back and be among us again. And after all that time I guess the council forgot you hadn't been tested."

"There loss was my gain, thank goodness I didn't find out then, and don't deny how much of a disaster it would've been if I had found out then."

"Oh I won't deny it, in fact I think it was fate that you didn't find out until now, you've grown so much since then in mind, body, and spirit. And that Rey is why you need to leave and become the Avatar. I know you think it's not worth the risk but I know it is. Something is happening out there Rey, and we need the Avatar. So please, accept who you are, take your place in history and do what needs to be done."

Rey looked away from Graham as he thought about what he said. He knew that Graham wouldn't force him to do anything but he also wouldn't suggest a course of action unless he knew it was necessary. Rey trusted him, it was time to show it.

"Ok." he said with a nod, "I'll do it, I'll be the Avatar."

The look on Graham's face when Rey accepted showed just how glad he was, it was a look of both happiness and relief.

"Thank you Rey. I know this will be tough for you but it'll work out in the end."

"For both our sakes Master Graham...it better."

"Indeed, shall we go inform the council?"

"I guess, but they won't like what I have to say."

"You're going to do something to upset them aren't you?"

"Big time."

Graham chuckled, "Glad to see I've taught you well, and I will support you in whatever you decide."

The two walked out of the forest and re-entered the village and went straight for the council chambers. The members were still in conversation when Graham and Rey arrived. Graham informed them that Rey decided to become the Avatar. The council was overjoyed at this.

"Fantastic! I knew you would come around Rey!" said once of the council

"Indeed this is good news. Now we must alert the correct people, the Earth King, the Fire Lord, both the Water Tribes and of course the Air Nomads and Republic City." said the head councilman, "Then after they're alerted we'll contact the White Lotus and have them take Rey to a training center to..."

"Stop right there, " interrupted Rey, "I agreed to be the Avatar but I'm not playing by your rules."

"Excuse me?" said the head councilman

"You want me to leave my home and go off to some training facility to be locked away til I'm ready? I don't think so. If I'm doing this I'm going to do it like Aang and not Korra, I'm going out into the world. I'll head to the Fire Nation on my own and learn from a master there, then when I'm done I'll head to an air temple and then the north or south pole. I'll go to them, they ain't coming to me."

"You can't do that!" shouted a councilman

"Watch me." said Rey simply, "Either I do this my way or I'm not doing this at all. I'm stubborn that way."

"I support this. " said Graham smiling cause of what Rey was doing, "You said it yourselves that the world needs the Avatar, that it needs Rey, what better way to prove it then by having Rey walk amongst the people and see their need? To talk to them not as an Avatar but as a regular being. There is great wisdom in what Rey has requested, I think we'd be foolish to deny him his request."

The council was not happy at the turn of events, but after a short deliberation amongst themselves they decided to approve it.

"Very well," said the head councilman begrudgingly, "you may go on your own, we'll still contact the head of the other nations to let them know the Avatar has been found but outside of that we won't tell anyone."

"Thank you." replied Rey with a bow

"I hope you learn what you need to on your journey Rey, mainly that there is more to protect in this world than just this village. And for the love of all that's holy don't get into trouble."

"Trouble? Me? I'm insulted, I never get into trouble." said Rey with a sinister grin that made the council draft expressions of concern

"Come on Rey let's get you packed." Graham said with a motion to the outside

With that Rey with Graham's help pack and get him ready for his journey. As they do so Graham relays to him information about where to go next.

"I know the perfect place for you to go train in Firebending." said Graham as they packed, "You are to go Mei Lon port, take the boat to the Fire Nation, within a few hours you'll arrive at a city on the coast. Find the temple that houses a man named Jimon. He's an old friend and a great master, you'll do well to learn from him."

"Yes master." said Rey with a nod

Graham reaches into his sleeve and pulls a scroll, "Give this to him when you meet, it's a message saying that you are who you say you are and that you trained under me. He'll accept you as a student with no fuss."

"Thanks you master."

Fully packed Graham walks Rey to the edge of the village, Rey constantly looks back to the village and the villagers, he refuses to say goodbye to them as he knows he'll back...someday. As the path approaches Graham addresses him one last time.

"You must be careful Rey, I sense the world is changing more than it should be. The balance that was once there is fading. I fear that we will need the Avatar before long and I want you to be ready for that. Remember your training and also that you are not alone, all your past lives as Avatar's are there for you if you need them. All you need to do is call out to them."

"Thank you Master. I'll hope to be back soon."

And with a bow to Graham he turns and walks out into the forest to begin his journey.

**Chapter 2: The Wolf, The Avatar, and The Spirit World**

As the scene fades in we find Rey walking through a thick forest. Rey talks to himself about the forest and how this is so new to him, about following this path to get to the next city which has a port that'll take him to the Fire Nation where he needs to find a master to teach him Firebending. Frustration is evident on Rey's face.

Rey continues to walk the path but slowly it gets harder to see then he finds himself totally surrounded by fog. He begins to wonder what's going on when shapes begin forming in the fog and begin to circle him. He tries to attack them with his bending but they go right through the shapes, finally one of the shapes jump out at him and goes through Rey knocking him out cold.

When Rey wakes up he finds himself in a new place. The forest is gone instead he's standing on a grey slab of ground. The world is greyed out and there isn't a person around. He begins to shout to see if anyone is there but no one answers his calls.

"Well...this is different." says Rey as he looks around, he notices that the ground appears to go on for a while but a fog is blocking his view of how far it actually goes, "I got to figure out where I am, maybe if I walk far enough I'll find something."

So Rey began walking to see what else was out there besides the slab he was on. He quickly came to the edge of the slab where the fog resided, Rey hesitated at first but stuck his hand through the fog, when nothing happened he shrugged and stepped all the way through. To his amazement he re-emerged from the fog on the same rock slab he was on before. Playing on a hunch Rey marked the ground he was on and again ran to the edge of the slab and sure enough he came out of right where he was before.

"Well that was redundant, looks like I'm stuck here for a while, wonder what'll happen next."

Out of the corner of Rey's eye he sees a shadow flash through the fog, it was similar to the one he saw in the forest, it circled around and around until Rey lost track of it. As he tried to locate it he feels a presence and turns around to see a beautiful white wolf looking at him. Rey tenses up at first but then relaxes when the wolf doesn't attack. He decides to try talking to it.

"Well hello there brother wolf, do you know where I am?"

The wolf blinks then responds, "Why yes Avatar I know where you are."

Rey recoils from the wolf speaking. How the heck could a wolf speak? Then it dawned on him.

"Am I in the Spirit World?"

The wolf nodded, "Yes Avatar this is the Spirit World, and we are in need of your help."

This confused Rey, the spirits were some of the most powerful things in existence, why would they need his help? The wolf read the confusion of Rey's face and answered his question.

"The balance of the worlds is fading Avatar. Long before you or Korra or Aang or even Roku the balance of the real world and the spirit world began to shift and the connections between them began to diminish. Certain events over the past couple centuries did not help this, such as the 100-year war, the killing of one of the spirit fish, the return of bloodbending and energybending in the world, and the list goes on. It is getting harder for spirits to connect with the real world and then return to the spirit world, if it becomes impossible then the world as we know it will be over."

"I don't understand." said Rey still completely bewildered at what was happening

"Behold." said the wolf and a light began to shine in the fog and came towards them. When the light stood in-between it transformed and became projections of Rey's world and a world somewhat similar to his.

"What is this?"

"This is both your world and the Spirit World. When the two are in perfect balance both worlds prosper. Now notice what happens when the worlds aren't in perfect balance."

Rey watched as the two projections slowly began to change, he noticed that his world was becoming distorted and some of it faded, the Spirit World on the other hand began to lose parts of its world altogether.

"What's happening?"

"The result of the balance being lost. Spirits and humans are connected in ways that many people don't realize. There are spirits that help benefit your world by altering nature in your favor. And if they are lost or killed it causes great harm to both our worlds."

"Like you said the fish at the North Pole who control the moon and sun?" asked Rey

"Exactly. When the moon fish was killed the moon completely disappeared from the sky and the Waterbenders suffered for it. Now imagine that kind of effect across many spirits. A spirit resides in both worlds either in part or in whole. What's happening is that they can't connect to one world or the other and when that happens the world they aren't in are affected greatly." acknowledged the wolf

"Ok so in my world nature or something else is affected but what happens if they can't come back here to the Spirit World?"

"Much like the human world is dependant on its inhabitants so to is our world. Spirits live in areas that resemble in part or in whole your world, like I said we're more connected than you think, we do this so that we can transfer easily to your world and then back to ours. And that's not all. I told you that some spirits are trapped in our world but that's not the worst of it, the area that they live in is sealed off somehow so none of the other spirits can go and help them. And when a spirit can't return to our world or is trapped in its home the area it lives in diminishes and eventually fades away, and when that happens other parts of our world are affected as well. "

"Yeah I've been meaning to ask that, I was in a forest before and now we're on a solid slab of rock, is this the affect of the spirits not being here?"

The wolf nodded, "Indeed it is. This is my home in the Spirit world and at one point it much resembled the forest in your world, but the loss of other spirits has destroyed my home. And that is why we need you Avatar, we need you to help free the spirits that are trapped in your world or in ours."

"No offense but what do you want me to do? I just found out I'm the Avatar and you want me to save both my world and the spirit world?"

"You don't give yourself enough credit Avatar. The Avatar Spirit doesn't just choose a random person to be the Avatar, it chooses one who is worthy and can live up to the tasks that need to be undertaken. You have the ability to save both worlds and restore the balance between them."

"Again how am I supposed to do that?"

"In your travels you will find special places such as this forest that have a very strong connection to parts of the Spirit World. On your journey you must connect to the spirits that live there and help them crossover to your world or back to the spirit world, once that happens the connection between the worlds will be re-established and the balance will slowly be restored. There are some spirits that are still connected to your world so you won't have to find them all but many are stranded that need to be saved. Will you help us Avatar?"

Rey was still trying to comprehend what the spirit was asking him when the question was asked. And though he still didn't know if he could do it, he knew he had to try.

"Yes, I will help."

"Excellent," replied the wolf spirit, "we thank you and offer you a gift, you will not have to travel alone on this journey for I will accompany you along the way."

"How?"

The wolf didn't respond but instead howled and a light began to shine in the world and blinded Rey. When he reopened his eyes he was back in the forest, he looked around and found himself face to face with the wolf from the Spirit World. He jumped back in recoil as he didn't know if the wolf was real.

"Are you actually there or I going crazy...er?"

"Yes Avatar I am here, I am one of the spirits that still have a strong connection to this world and can thus roam freely between them. And because of that I will help guide you on your journey." said the wolf

"Thank you," Rey replied while getting off the ground, "do you have a name I can call you?"

"Yes Avatar, you may call me Swift."

"Ok Swift it is, now do me another favor and call me Rey, I really don't want to be called Avatar all the time."

The wolf looked at him for a while then seemed to smirk, "Very well Rey, shall we continue on your journey?"

"Sure, why not? Can't wait to see what else is waiting for me, after this experience I doubt I'll be surprised much."

Swift chuckled, "Rey believe me when I say that the world is full of interesting things and places, you're going to be surprised a lot."

*Credits*

**The rest of the story shall be posted soon (apparently they don't like hyperlinks here) if you want to read the story now go to Google and search Avatar: Spirit of Earth. Click on the first chapter and scroll down to find the index where all the other chapters can be found and read. Enjoy.**


	2. Chapter 3: Earth Race

**Book 1, Chapter Three: Earth Race**

The scene opens on Rey and Swift walking on a path through the forest. As we zoom in we here them talking.

"How long do you think we will be walking for?" asked Swift

"What you can't handle a little walking?" joked Rey, "I thought spirits were supposed to tough as nails."

"That is not why I ask, I ask because when we take a break I'll try scanning for my brethren."

"Oh right the spirits we're trying to help. Yeah how will that work? Will they call you? Will you call them?"

"Well as a spirit myself I able to sense when a spirit is near, the problem is that because of the divide in our worlds and the fact that I don't know which side my brethren are stuck on their essence is hard to detect so I have to really concentrate to find them and by that I mean leave my physical body behind and search for them, and I won't do that while were walking in case something happens."

"Cautious, I like that, ok let me check the map."

Rey pulled out the map from his travel bag he brought from his village. He knew that their ultimate destination was the port city of Mei Lon, and that was still a ways away but if they kept going he noticed that they could reach a small town called Racton in a few hours. There they could relax, load up on supplies and rest before heading to port. Once satisfied Rey returned the map to his bag and addressed Swift.

"Ok in another hour or so we'll reach a small town called Racton, we'll rest there and you can do your scan while i'll restock and then the next day we'll head to Mei Lon and hopefully make it there before nightfall. Sound good?" suggested Rey

"That should be fine." replied Swift and with that they continued on their way

Rey still couldn't believe what had happened in the last few days, it seemed like things were piling up on him and loading him with heavy burdens. First he found he was the Avatar and that he had to save the world though in his eyes it didn't need saving, then the very next day he was pulled into the spirit world, meet a spirit named Swift and was asked to save other spirits who are either trapped in the spirit and can't get to his world, or are trapped on his plane and can't reach the spirit world. No pressure right? And yet despite his misgivings he seemed awfully at peace with it. He couldn't explain it but maybe, just maybe, this is what he needed to do with his life. To break free from his home village and the responsibilities he burdened himself with there to seek new challenges and new friends and allies. And low and behold he's on his way to the Fire Nation with a spirit wolf as a companion. He smiled at this thought...thought? And suddenly Rey felt compelled to ask a question he couldn't believe he didn't ask before.

"Hey Swift? How are you talking to me?" he asked

"What do you mean?" Swift responded

"I mean your mouth isn't moving when you talk and yet I can hear you clear as day."

"Oh that, I'm projecting my voice into your head so that you can hear me and no one else can. Is that a problem?"

"Personally? No it's not a problem, but it's going to hard to explain sometimes why i'm responding to something that wasn't said out loud."

"Indeed," Swift said solemnly, "I'm sure you'll think of something."

"I always do, besides if people ask i'll honestly tell them i'm talking to you, it'll be funny to watch their reactions."

"Yes I think it will, but won't they think you're crazy?"

"Swift, let me teach you something i've realized in my life: we're all crazy, it's just to what extent." Rey said with a smile

"Huh, an interesting philosophy."

"Thanks."

For the next hour they continued to walk through the forest, but eventually they could see a clearing and realized they were close to Racton. And soon enough they arrived and Rey was amazed at what he saw.

The town though considered small was vibrant and full of tall buildings. It was the antithesis of Rey's little village which was a very traditional place, Racton seemed to pride itself on it's modern look and feel. As Rey and Swift looked around they saw all kinds of people and vehicles running through the area. It was mind-blowing.

"Wow." Rey said looking around

"Indeed," agreed Swift, "I had forgotten how far you humans have come since I last entered your world. You have come very far, very far indeed."

"Yeah," Rey acknowledged but the smile fading from his face, "but some would say we've come to far, advancement is necessary but not when it destroys what got us this far. But that's a conversation for another time. Man this place is huge, I don't even know where to start looking for a place to stay and eat."

"You've never been here?" asked Swift

"No, i've only been in my village and the outlying forest areas around it. I've never been to another city before, big or small."

"Well I guess we should just look around until we find something."

"Sounds good let's go."

And so Rey and Swift went and walked around just exploring and seeing the sights. It was amazing in Rey's eyes, his opinions aside the city was indeed a wonder, there were vehicles of many different shapes and sizes going throughout the streets. There were businesses of all kinds on every street and corner selling everything from food to clothing, to weapons. Rey eyed some swords but didn't think he should carry them for he thought people would take it the wrong way, but boy was he tempted.

Eventually as they walked around Swift noticed a map and directed Rey to it. The map truly showed how big and varied the town was, it showed every business, hotel, food joint, store, etc. After a little scanning Rey noticed something odd that caught his eye. Swift noticed and asked.

"What is it?"

"A race track," Rey responded, "but it says no four-wheel vehicles allowed. So does that mean it's a cycle track?"

"Cycle track?" question Swift

"Cycle is a two-wheel vehicle built for speed, never seen one up close but hear they're pretty cool." Rey replied and continued to search the map, "Oh here we are there's a low pay hotel we can crash at til tomorrow. And it's next to the track so we can get a room and head over to check it out. Shall we go?"

Swift nodded and the two went off to find the hotel, it took them a while because they underestimated the scale difference between map and town but they found what they were looking for and was about to head in when a group of kids passed them by coming from the track. Rey would've ignored them but they were laughing almost uncontrollably and they all had a sinister look on their face.

"I can't wait to see the look on his face!" one said

"I would be surprised if he has a face after it happens!" said another

"Yep, it won't be long now. He should find out real soon that he can't stop and he'll either have to bail or crash, either way we win!" said another one before laughing again and getting out of earshot.

Rey and Swift looked at each other with a similar expression.

"I know that look Swift, that's a look of a prank about to happen, except I don't think this isn't going to be harmless, if I heard them right it could be fatal."

"I agree, but what do you think they did?"

"Don't know and don't care," Rey said looking around, "there's the track let's head over and try to stop whatever they did."

They both rushed over to the track and to their surprise there was only one person on the track. A person was racing a cycle around the track but nothing seemed to be off or wrong with it. Rey was sure that he heard them right but nothing seemed off, not willing to take the chance that he might have misheard Rey went closer to the track and when he reached the protective railing he tried to signal the rider. He waved his arms in the air trying to get the rider to slow down and talk with him but to no avail, in fact the bike seemed to be going faster every time, and that's when it hit him.

"He can't stop..." he echoed from the kids comments before, "Swift he can't stop, someone took out his brakes!"

"What do we do?" Swift asked

"Let's get on the track, we have to try and talk to him."

They hopped over the railing and tried again to communicate with the rider, this time the rider took notice but due to his speed couldn't speak in full, he was only able to get a word or two per lap. Rey listened closely and was able to piece together:

"Can't...stop...please...help me!

Rey thought fast about what he could do, if he made the rider stop suddenly he could hurt him so he had to try and slow him down. But how? And then he got a crazy idea that could save both the rider and the bike. He signaled the biker and told him to hang on and not let go of the bike.

He psyched himself and prepared to initiate his plan. He let the rider know that the next lap he would do it. And just when the rider came around the corner Rey slammed his foot into the earth to get a foothold then from the track he created a massive ramp that slowly curved into a vertical angle. The bike hit the ramp hit the ramp and followed it up and flew straight into the air.

"That was your plan?" gawked Swift, "Launch him into space?!"

"Space? No, but your not far off. Trust me I know what i'm doing." said Rey focused on the sky looking for the rider

"Is he going to come down eventually?"

"Yep...right about...now!"

And no sooner had Rey said that then the sound of the cycles engine could be heard and the bike hit the ramp just like it left it and went screaming in the opposite direction, Rey was ready and made similar ramp and the bike launched again, but this time it didn't disappear in the sky, in fact it didn't go as high as the last time, Rey moved the other ramp closer and soon the bike returned and the process continued, the bike would launch, Rey moved the ramps closer, the bike would return and launch again but not as high as before. After only a few minutes the bike was slowed down enough that it couldn't make the jump and it stopped.

The moment it stopped Rey and Swift raced over to see if the rider was ok. Thankfully he was, he was just a little lightheaded from the takeoff.

"You alright?" asked Rey holding on to the rider as he tried to get off the bike

"Yeah i'm fine," the rider replied though his eyes were still clearly adjusting to being back on the ground, "that was some quick-thinking man, I don't think I could've survived much longer, I guess I'm lucky you showed up."

"More like ego actually." said Rey while getting the rider to a seat

"Sorry?"

"We were trying to find a hotel in the city when this group of kids walked by. They were laughing and talking about how they wished they could see the look on someone's face when they crashed, we figured they were serious and we ran over here to see if anyone is in danger and I think you know the rest."

"Yeah, and unfortunately I know who you're talking about. Bunch of spoiled brats."

"They looked the type that's for sure. Look it may not be any of my business but why did they try and kill you?"

"I don't think they were trying to kill me, though they wouldn't have been sad if they did though, they were trying to injure me so I couldn't race them."

"This is all about a race?" said Rey unbelieving

"Not just any race, it's called the Earth Race. The winner gets 10,000 gold pieces and people from all over are coming in to race, including them." answered the rider

"So what they're just eliminating the competition?"

"Something like that, I may not look it but I'm a bike builder and the bike that you thankfully saved is my best work. I know it can get me first place. And apparently they thought so to, so they rigged my bike so that I couldn't brake or slow down without great difficultly and probably thought i'd bail out at the first sign of trouble, but that's not my style, I wasn't going to abandon it until I was sure I had no options left and lucky for me an option came through."

"I'm just glad we could help and got here in time."

"We?" asked the rider

"Oh sorry, I'm Rey nice to meet you, and this is my dog Swift."

"Nice to meet you both, call me Mick."

"Well Mick, do you think you're going to be alright? Are those idiots going to try something again?" asked Rey

"Mostly likely, but hopefully if I can play it right i can make it to race day. But I'll be at a disadvantage because I don't have backup for the race."

"A what?"

"You're clearly not from around here." Mick said with a smile

"Guilty as charged," shrugged Rey, "me and Swift are from a village a good walking distance east of here."

"Oh that makes sense, let me fill you in. The Earth Race is a 20 mile cycle race from Racton to Mei Lon port, the bikes are to be built for two people, the first is the driver, his role is obvious he drives the bike and steers clear of the obstacles that come up. The second is the backup, the backup is a bender and their job is to mess up the other racers or try and save themselves if the driver can't."

"And since you don't have a bender as your backup you're at a disadvantage to what you can do during the race."

"Pretty much." acknowledged Mick

"Why don't you have a backup? If your rides really that good then there should be a lot of people lined up to ride with you."

Mick sighed heavily and looked at his bike for a while the said, "At first that was true, when I showed off my bike for the first time there were a few people who were happy to join me, they had nothing to lose. But other people did if I win. So they paid them off, hurt them, threaten to hurt them, and made sure everyone knew what would happen if they helped me in any way. So i'm alone."

"Why would they do that?" questioned Rey, "What do they accomplish by doing that?"

"Nothing." stated Mick, "They did it prove a point, or attempt to prove a point is a better term. I'm what some people might consider a lower-tier citizen. I have no family, I'm on my own, I live in a garage and I don't make much for a living, but I'm a dang good mechanic, I've built and repaired all kinds of vehicles and that's what keeps me going. But the other racers are what you might call high-class society. They hire the best to both build and race their bikes, the best that money can buy, to them i'm just a street-rat trying to earn a quick buck. They think it's disgraceful that i'm entering the race even though I have the right to. And then when they saw my bike and how good it was they got even angrier, apparently to the point where they want to hurt me. But I don't care, I'm going to race, alone or with a partner, and I will win and I'll prove that I deserve to race. Whether they like it or not."

Rey smiled and looked at Swift and without speaking asked for his blessing for what he was about to do. Swift nodded and Rey went to work.

'Well I think I might be able to help you Mick."

"How so?" he replied skeptically

"It's simple, as you saw I'm an Earthbender and I'm a pretty good one, and nothing ticks me off more than someone beating down the little guy so here's what i'll do. I'll be your backup for the race. I'll do whatever you need me to in order for you to win. And you can count on the fact that I won't be intimidated or bought. I'll help you out if you'll accept it."

"What's this going to cost me?"

"Two things, the first you're doing without knowing, which is getting me to Mei Lon port. Me and Swift are heading to the Fire Nation and that's our quickest way there. The second is that if you could manage it...I would like a bike."

"You want one?" Mick said with a laugh

"With a little teaching from you I know I can ride one. And it doesn't have to tricked out or go super fast it just has to get me from point A to point B faster than it would take to walk. Oh and it needs to have a side-car."

"Why do you need a side-car?"

Instead of answering Rey just pointed to Swift, Mick's expression went from puzzled to apologetic.

"Sorry boy forgot you were there for a second.," he said looking at Swift then returning his attention to Rey, "That sounds fair, but what about the money?"

"Oh I don't need it. I have enough to get me to the Fire Nation and back with money to spare, besides I think you'll need more than me. What do you want to do with the money anyway?"

"As you would say? Simple, I told you I live in a garage right? Well I want to buy and expand that garage to do more work, right now I'm restricted in what I can do but with the money I can get the parts I need to do bigger jobs and bring in better pay."

"Awesome. And who am I to take that away? Just take me to Mei Lon and build me a bike afterwards and the rest is yours. Deal?" purposed Rey as he stuck his hand out

"Deal." replied Mick shaking his hand, "Hey do you guys have a place to stay tonight? I've got some space in my garage if you want, it's not a lot but it's home."

"Sounds great, let's go."

Mick stood when over to his bike grabbed the handlebars and began to steer it towards the garage, which unsurprisingly wasn't that far from the track. When the three reached the garage Mick opened up the door and steered his bike inside and parked it next to two others that looked unfinished. Rey wondered in and looked around and saw a plethora of tools and gadgets and parts from both cycles and mobiles. He really wasn't lying when he said he was a mechanic, and the bikes proved how good he was.

He continued to look around and saw all kinds of items but eventually made his way to the three bikes in the garage. One in particular caught his eye, it was a little longer than the one Mick was riding and a little bulkier, Rey went to ask Mick about it but he disappeared. Not seeing the harm of just getting on it he did so and oddly enough he felt very comfortable on the bike. It seemed to fit him perfectly, the size of the bike helped in this due to the fact that Rey was tall and with the added length he didn't need to scrunch his body to feel comfortable on it.

"This is cool." said Rey excited that he might have one soon.

"You do look happy on it." said Swift finally speaking now that they were alone

"You'll be happy to when you're in the side-car. Your ears and tongue flapping in the wind. You'll be adorable." laughed Rey as he imitated what Swift would look like on the bike."

Swift's expression soured, "Now I don't want to ride it."

"Oh stop being a party pooper. This is will be fun. Besides if we win and get the bike we won't have to walk again we can just ride this wherever we go."

"I guess that would be simpler."

"That a boy."

"Who are you talking to?" asked Mick back in the room with a weird look on his face

Again Rey pointed to Swift, "Dog."

"I was afraid of that. Do you always talk to him?"

"Yeah and he answers back, he's very expressive, especially in the eyes."

"Ok, ok, whatever you say." Mick said hands in the air to symbolize him backing off the subject.

"We were talking about the bike and how good he'd look in it, and he agreed that it would be better than walking all the time."

"Really?"

"Yeah, the dog hates the commute."

"Wow."

As Mick sat down Rey got his first good look at him, before he could only see his head cause he had a racing suit on but now in plain clothes he could tell more about him. He had black hair and brown eyes, judging by his face he was a few years younger than Rey, he was shorter than him also but he was muscular, no doubt from working hard as a mechanic and being a cycle rider. Mick soon reopened the dialogue.

"So you like that bike huh?"

"Oh yeah, big time. Think you can fix it up for me if you win?" Rey said with a smirk

"No problem, it'll take a little while, might have to order a part or two, and of course I gotta get a sidecar attached but I say no longer than a month. Will that work for you?"

"That'll work, I don't know how long i'll be in the Fire Nation but it won't be quick that's for sure. And even if I can back early I could hang out with you and help out til it's done. So don't worry about timing, just get it done and do it right and we'll be fine."

"Ok." Mick said with a nod then put a serious expression on his face, "so here's the deal, the race is the day after tomorrow. I'm probably going the spend the rest of the day making sure my bike is ok. Tomorrow you and me will head out do some dry runs and get you comfortable both on the bike and bending from a bike. We'll do the best we can and then it'll be race day. That good for you?"

"We'll what are we waiting for? Let's get started!"

The rest of their day consisted of Mick and Rey putting the race bike back into working order. Within an hour they found the problem with the brakes and fixed it promptly. They also added an emergency brake that was independent of the other, just in case. They added other fine tuned touches to make sure the bike would run perfectly. Among the time spent Rey actually learned a great deal about bikes and how they work, he eventually was helpful in the construction of the race bike and was able to get Mick what he needed quickly to fix the bike. After the race bike was done Mick offered to start working on the bike for Rey and Swift and started taking measurements of the two and what would be needed to make the bike complete. By midnight the work that could be done on both bikes were completed and they all turned in.

With the morning came a sense of purpose in both Rey and Mick. They quickly suited up (Mick provided Rey with a spare suit) and went to the track to starting practicing on the bike. Mick first went through all the things Rey should do to help the bike to go faster, such as leaning in whenever possible to get more speed, or leaning with Mick to get better turn movements. Rey wasn't used to riding on cycles especially at high speeds so it took him a few hours to get comfortable but soon he got the hang of it and was able to get into a rhythm with Mick and by the end of practice they were speeding around the track with no problems at all.

Next came the bending practice. Rey had to learn to not only bend on a bike but do it at high speeds with extreme precision. Not an easy task as Mick reminded him.

"Ok listen, there's only two rules when it comes to bending in the race. First you can't fly or hover with your bending, you must be on the ground most of the time."

"What about ramps?" asked Rey

"Ramps are only allowed to be a few feet high, otherwise everyone would just fly through the air and avoid everything. Which apparently is a bad thing."

"Ok and two?"

"You cannot directly hurt the rider or the backup. So you can't hurl rocks at them to try and knock them off the bike, you can affect the road, the forest surrounding, etc but you can't hurt the people directly."

"And people follow that rule?"

"Oddly enough yes, they have cameras all throughout the race course and anyone found breaking that rule are disqualified and banned from the race for life."

"Works for me."

"Good, cause the last thing I need is you getting me disqualified because you can't follow the rules."

"Hey I want to win to you know, we want that bike."

"We?"

"The dog hates the commute."

"Well we can't disappoint the dog can we? Alright lets get started."

They started the practice by first being stationary so Rey could get the feel of bending from a sitting position on the bike. Because of his restricted movement Rey had to focus more to get the earth to move the way he wanted and he had to substitute movements to get it work but after a while Rey got the feel of what he could and couldn't do.

Then they started to practice bending while the bike was in motion, all the while being in sync with each other. It wasn't easy, With the bike going at high speeds it was difficult to move the way you wanted to let alone bend the way you wanted to. Rey had to compensate by doing the smallest motions and doing the tiniest things to the earth to get the flow going then as the hours passed he began to go full force and really move some earth. The catch however was that it was much more draining on him because it required more effort and more control to make sure it didn't fall apart.

As the day ended both Rey and Mick were satisfied with how far they had come in such a small amount of time. They returned to the garage to rest and prepare for the race which started the next day at noon.

"Hey Mick?" called out Rey as he slipped into his cot to sleep

"Yeah Rey?" Mick responded as he got into his own cot

"Be honest, do you think we have a shot?"

"A shot? Of course. A good shot? I probably wouldn't go that far."

"Fair enough, i'll do my part to make sure we win and if you do yours then we can honestly say we did all we could."

"Amen to that. See you in the morning."

"Night."

The day rose and both Rey and Mick were anxious about the race. They spent the early morning getting ready, Mick made sure the bike was in perfect running order, Rey practiced his bending technique. When the time came they geared up and went to the outskirts of Racton and lined up for the race. The staging area was grand in design. There were monitors that seemed to cover every angle of the race. At one point he saw a camera focus on them but it moved away before he could tell Mick. And to add to the grandness of the event was the amount of people hovering around both the monitors and the start lines. It was incredible.

As they approached the start line Rey looked around to see how many were in the race, not including themselves there was nine other bikes in the race, but there was still time to enter so they be more on the way. He then surveyed the crowd that was around the start and saw a mixed crowd, there were businessmen, families with their kids, and just before returning his attention Rey saw the group of kids that had tried to kill Mick. He tapped Mick on the shoulder and gestured to where they were, then they both took off their helmets and waved at them. The look of shock and horror on their faces brought smiles to Mick and Rey.

Finally the horn sounded and the race was about ready to begin, the final count of racers was fourteen. Rey's mind began to race about how the other competitors might try and interfere with them, the thoughts began to overwhelm him when he remembered that he can only focus on the here and now, everything else is irrelevant. Just as he found his center a man appeared on the monitors and began reminding everyone about the rules of the race.

"This is a twenty mile race from here to the port of Mei Lon. You may go as fast as you want to get there, you may use bending to enhance your odds but remember no flying, hovering, or ramps above two feet. Also you may not directly harm your opponents with your bending. The first team to reach the finish line in Mei Lon wins! Let the countdown begin!"

Then on the big screens a giant "30" appeared and began to count backwards. As the seconds winded down Rey again cleared his mind then focused on what he needed to do. He went over the motions of his moves, how much he had to exert to do them, how to move in sync with Mick to get a better response from the bike. Once done he looked up to see the "30" was now a "10"...the race was about to begin.

"5...4...3...2...1...GO!"

The moment the "GO!" appeared the sounds of engines roaring and tires squealing filled the air. Mick was among one of the first bikes out and soon was out in the lead. He did his best to keep it that way and signaled Rey to keep an eye on their six to make sure nobody tried anything. Utilizing a technique that Mick had taught him Rey did a 180 in his seat to better focus on the competition. And he was glad he did.

No sooner had he turned around then two bikes came up close to try and steal the lead. Rey focused on them and used his bending to break up the earth that was directly in front of them. One of the bikes swerved hard to get out of the way and fell behind but the other didn't, instead it made only a tiny adjustment and avoided the trap altogether, and Rey knew it was their turn to fight so he got ready to go on the defensive.

Sure enough when they got close the backup for the opposing rider launched a fireball over Rey's head and it hit directly in front of their bike, fortunately Mick didn't waver and drove right through it but it was close. Rey decided to get creative and rose a wall of earth out of the ground and put it right in front of the other racers. But they weren't deterred, instead the backups for every rider just punched through the wall without a moments hesitation, when they did Rey noticed that were Firebenders, Earthbenders, and even a Waterbender in the pack so he knew this wasn't going to be easy.

From the middle of the pack a racer shot forward and came up side-by-side with Rey, he and the backup from the other rider stared down each other as if daring the other to make a move. Rey reversed his position again to face forward in case the backup tried to do something. At first it seemed like they were just going to stare down each other but suddenly the backup reached for a jug and Rey knew a Waterbending attack was about to happen and with a wave of the arm the Waterbender launched the liquid from the jug and landed it a few feet from Mick's bike, then with a flick of the wrist the bender turned the water into ice and waited for them to hit it and spin out.

Rey was ready though and remembering the rules made a one foot ramp that would launch them just over the ice and it was _just _over the ice. But though they made it they lost ground and the opposing bike overtook them along with two others. Mick throttled the accelerator to try and tried to catch up to them, but for whatever reason wasn't able to reach them. Rey had had enough.

"Time for a little offensive," he shouted so Mick could hear him, "hold on and be prepared to move!"

With a huge effort Rey crumpled the nearby earth and made it stay pace with him. On both sides of their bike it seemed like an animal was burrowing underneath the earth trying to keep up. He waited for Mick to get them closer and then spread the two trails of earth out wide to make sure the other bikes were in range then as they closed him he made the paths cross each other and created a huge uprising of earth that two of the three bikes couldn't avoid in time and crashed. The other didn't crash but was forced to stop which allowed Mick to speed ahead and retake the lead. But it came at a cost.

"I'm beat after that little trick." Rey yelled at Mick, "give me a minute and i'll be fine but that took a lot out of me."

Mick nodded in reply and again hit the accelerator to maintain their lead. A few minutes afterward they reached the midway point of the race and were still in the lead. Rey signaled Mick to let him know he was good to go for round 2 and again reversed position to see what the opposition was doing. He was surprised to see that more than half the bikes were gone. He knew that he had taken out two from his earth stunt but it appeared as though five more bikes were out of the race, and with the halfway mark now crossed Rey felt they would get more aggressive. He was right.

Multiple projectiles began flying at them, earth chunks, fireballs, he didn't know what they were aimed at but he didn't care, he raised his own projectiles and used them to block the opponents ones. He was trying to save his energy in case he had to do something big at the end, the opposition didn't seem to share in that sentiment. For the little while all Rey seemed to be doing was blocking and defending the bike, which was fine except the assault was unrelenting and it was beginning to tire him out. So he decided to become proactive.

He dug deep and started raising earth spikes from ground in an attempt to hinder or crash the other bikes. And to a degree it worked, he focused on one bike at a time raising two spikes almost adjacent to each other to trip up the riders, two crashed, one stopped just in time to avoid crashing but was forced to turn back, however the three remaining riders went just as aggressive and viciously destroyed his spikes.

With only a few miles left in the race Rey and Mick still had the lead but there were still three remaining riders and their attacks were getting more ferocious. Rey was continuously defending and blocking attacks but wasn't able to trip up the others like before. But all of a sudden the attacks stopped, Rey looked intently both at his opponents and where they were heading, the finish line wasn't in sight yet, what were they up to? Rey got his answer quickly as he saw the backups conversing and saw them all nod at each other.

They lined up in a "V" shape and attack, the two in front had Earthbenders and started hurling rocks at Rey and the bike, he blocked them but waited before striking back, the one in the middle was revealed to be a Waterbender and was hanging back and seemed to be collecting something and soon above her head was a huge ball of water. The bender smiled then launched it at Rey, he prepared to block it when suddenly the ball broke into two and then landed in front of the other two bikers then turned into ice causing them to spin out. The bike with the Waterbender then surged forward, recollected the water and met up side-by-side with Rey and Mick.

Rey spun around and when he did Mick signaled him saying that they were a mile from the finish line. This was it. Rey locked eyes with the Waterbender and started to get ready to attack or defend depending on what the situation would require. As he waited he could start to see the finish line, it was close but he couldn't get distracted, and as he returned his gaze to the Waterbender he saw that the bender was trying to do the same trick twice except with a bigger mass of water. Rey launched a rock at the mass but it didn't break apart. When it was ready the Waterbender launched it and it landed way in front of Mick's bike and it covered a vast area both long and wide, they wouldn't be able to dodge. Rey's mind started to race, what were they going to do? They couldn't dodge it they had to go through it. Wait. Go through it. And with a crazy notion Rey smiled and gathered up all the energy he had left and warned Mick.

"Hold on. This is going to be big."

And with a yell Rey summoned up the earth and created a giant earth plow that surrounded the bike making it impossible to attack. When it was stable and Rey was sure he could maintain it he told Mick.

"Hit it!"

For the final time Mick slammed on the accelerator and their bike surrounded by the earth plow blasted by their final opponent along with the ice trap and crossed the finish line, winning the race.

As Mick slowed down Rey lowered the earth and almost collapsed from the strain of the move. Mick helped him up and both of them waved at the crowd who was cheering at their victory. The announcer went crazy shouting their adulation's and proclaiming them one of the best race teams ever. They were escorted to the podium and given a trophy that had their prize money in it. They were asked to give a victory speech and Rey let Mick do it.

"There were people who told me I didn't deserve to be in this race. That I wasn't worthy enough. Well this trophy tells me that I'm definitely worthy enough and that I definitely deserve to be here!" he said then raised the trophy into the air for all to see.

A few hours later once they were interviewed, signed autographs, and talked to the public they were allowed to leave. Mick knew the layout of Mei Lon and escorted Rey to the docks so that he could get on a boat to the Fire Nation. Mick was about to wish him off when he realized something.

"Dude where's your dog?"

Rey smiled and pointed behind him, "There." and sure enough there was Swift walking up to them with a smug look on his face.

"How the heck did he get here?" asked Mick clearly puzzled

"I said he hated the commute, not he that couldn't make the commute." said Rey with a grin.

"Right...well all that aside I thank you for everything. I really couldn't have done this without you. Are you sure you can't stay a little longer? We just won a race, we should celebrate."

"Thanks Mick but I can't. It was fun though, and if you need a partner next year I'd be willing to do it again."

"Cool, well as promised your in Mei Lon, there's your ship to the Fire Nation and when I get back I'll start working on your bike, a deals a deal."

"Very cool, I appreciate that. I don't know how long i'll be gone but i'll be back to collect. Oh and make sure the bike looks cool alright? We have a reputation to maintain."

"You or the dog?" asked Mick with a smirk

"Both, isn't that right Swift?"

"Indeed," said Swift projecting to both Rey and Mick, "especially after this endeavor I would hate to ride in anything less than...cool."

Mick went bug-eyed as he heard Swift's voice and gawked at him for a while. Then said.

"Dude, did you dog just talk?"

Rey smiled and replied, "I told you he was expressive. Trust me that's not even the weirdest thing about the dog."

"There's more?" said Mick his voice starting to crack

"There's always more, just relax Mick, enjoy your victory, and when I come back i'll tell you everything, ok?"

Finally recovering from the shock Mick looked at Rey and nodded, "Come back soon alright? I definitely can't wait to hear this story."

"Count on it."

And with a salute from Rey and a bow from Swift the two boarded the ship and prepared to head to the Fire Nation.

*credits*

Preview of Chapter 4: Rey and Swift make it to the Fire Nation! But not everyone is happy they are there!


End file.
